Bringing the community together on important issues is among Chris Hyatt's top priorities as he vies for a seat on the Whitefish City Council.

"We have a divided community right now and that's not good," he said. "I want to bring people back together."

Regarding the recent controversy surrounding the downtown street reconstruction, Hyatt - who owns property on Whitefish's Central Avenue - said the city had an obligation to carry out a full six-week trial period of wider sidewalks but instead the council voted after the third week of the trial, essentially wasting the $8,000 it took to set up the mock sidewalks.

"I have a problem when you tell people you're going to do something and you do something completely opposite," he said.

Hyatt said, however, that he supports the downtown master plan. The widening of the sidewalks is just one component of that plan.

While Hyatt notes the importance of regulations to protect the community, he also understands the need for residents of Whitefish's two-mile planning "doughnut" to have a say in local government.

"You cannot have a situation where people don't have representation and are being governed by a different body," he said. "We need to work with the county. We can't have this friction."

He said creating districts within the doughnut may be a possibility to provide more representation.

Hyatt sees the need to fine-tune the city's critical areas ordinance that deals with drainage issues. He believes it needs to be put into laymen's terms while still adequately protecting water quality.

"We can't have an ordinance that harms or creates arduous situations for people," he said. "I've talked to people who are environmentally sensitive builders who are baffled by [the ordinance]. It locks them in."

Hyatt advocates for transparency in city government and said his many years of business experience in Whitefish would be an asset to the council. He has lived in Whitefish for 17 years and owned and actively managed Ski Mountain Sports in downtown Whitefish for 12 years.

Hyatt believes the city needs to make the budget process more transparent, so that citizens can understand where their tax dollars are going and why.

"I'm a fiscally responsible person," he said. "That's the business side of me."

He'd like to see the council take a more active role in promoting economic development to foster the kind of growth that would allow future generations to make their homes in Whitefish.

In matters such as the sign dispute at Mrs. Spoonover's ice-cream shop, Hyatt said he believes the city should be able to work with artistic signs that add to the character of Whitefish "without getting all lawyered up.

"The City Council has a responsibility to understand our past and to set in place a vision for the future," Hyatt said. "This responsibility requires an understanding of how businesses work, how families function, and how the government's attitude can affect the community in profound ways.

"Whitefish is as close to paradise as we may find on this earth. We have something rare," he said. "It requires our protection and our attention. It also requires stewardship that reflects a balance between careful growth and environmental sensitivity. It requires a City Council that listens and responds. It's important that we do our best to answer to the people who put us in charge of the community."

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at [email protected]

Chris Hyatt

Whitefish City Council candidate

Age: 43

Occupation: Consultant for Northfork Strategies

Family: Wife, Jennifer; three children, Audrey, 9; William, 6; Charlie, 4

Background: Degree in organizational communication from Colorado State University; owned Ski Mountain Sports for 12 years in downtown Whitefish; grew up on the family orchard at Yellow Bay on Flathead Lake and continues to manage the family-owned orchard; Whitefish baseball and youth soccer coach; member of Christ Lutheran Church.

E-mail: [email protected]

Election is near

Mail ballots go out Oct. 14 for the Whitefish City Council election and are due Nov. 3.

Four candidates - Bill Kahle, Chris Hyatt, Philip B. Mitchell and incumbent Frank Sweeney - are vying for three council vacancies. Nick Palmer also will be on the ballot although he has withdrawn from the race.

The terms of Palmer, Sweeney and Nancy Woodruff expire at the end of the year. Woodruff did not file for re-election.